Democrats

Republican Dave Thompson’s selection of a running mate starts a parade of political pairings in Minnesota’s race for governor. Thompson on Thursday announced that Michelle Benson, a fellow state senator, joined his ticket.

Democrats who control Minnesota’s Legislature are planning a major push in the upcoming session for a package of bills aimed at breaking down what they say are continued barriers to economic success for women.

U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson says he’ll formally announce next month whether he’ll seek another term in Congress, but for now he’s running. The Minnesota Democrat said he’s going to take a couple weeks to think about what he needs to do to organize a campaign, then announce a final decision.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar says the crafting of a compromise five-year farm bill is a critical step toward providing support and certainty for Minnesota farmers. The Minnesota Democrat was on the conference committee that completed the bill Monday. It now goes to the House and Senate floors for final votes.

Upcoming party fundraising dinners for Minnesota Democrats and Republicans will have big-name speakers. Minnesota Democrats said Tuesday that Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren will be the keynote for the annual Humphrey-Mondale dinner on March 29.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is hearing directly from his lieutenant governor about whether she’ll join him in a re-election run. Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon was to meet with her fellow Democrat on Monday about the fall ballot plan. She was wavering about whether to seek a new term along with Dayton.

A campaign finance case that resulted in a $100,000 penalty against the Senate DFL Caucus is getting a fresh look from regulators. The state’s campaign board met privately Tuesday to discuss whether the case deserves more scrutiny.

Just weeks before he died, President John F. Kennedy made one last trip to Minnesota in late September 1963. It was one of many visits to the state where he helped launch Minnesota Democrats to national prominence. The young president was hitting his stride politically in late 1963, and preparing for the 1964 re-election campaign.

The Minnesota AFL-CIO is backing Gov. Mark Dayton and U.S. Sen. Al Franken in their re-election bids. The union, one of Minnesota’s largest, announced its choices Tuesday in Minnesota’s two major political races next year.

Early Republican scrimmages Saturday in races for Minnesota governor and the U.S. Senate gave a leg up to a pair of candidates who are looking for any edge against better-financed rivals. The straw polls at the Minnesota Republican Party’s State Central Committee meeting were won by Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson in the governor’s race and state Sen. Julianne Ortman for Senate. But if past preference polls are any guide, neither has a lock on the party’s endorsement that will be awarded next May or the nomination to be decided in August. “I don’t know that I believe in the curse of the straw poll,” Johnson said after his win, alluding to others who have been overtaken come state convention time. “These are the most active of the activists.”

As U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar helped volunteers at the Second Harvest Heartland warehouse in Golden Valley, she said she is optimistic that Congress will pass a new long-term farm bill this year. That would be welcome news to Second Harvest CEO Rob Zeaske.

Gov. Mark Dayton raised $379,000 from the start of July to the end of September for his re-election campaign. The Democratic governor’s campaign voluntarily released the figures on Thursday, though he is not compelled to release quarterly finance reports.

A Minnesota senator is one of the key players hammering out a deal that could end the federal government shutdown. Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar is helping write a compromised version of a plan drafted by Republican Senator Susan Collins and credited GOP moderates. “We are friends,” Klobuchar said. “Senate Republicans really came to the fore, more moderates, saying ‘We want to work on a compromise,’ and that’s exactly what’s happening today in the Senate.”